Halle (dpa/sa) - According to trade union information, around 1500 people demonstrated in Halle for a better education policy in Saxony-Anhalt. Among other things, banners said: "Hands off our working hours" or "Against ignorance". The country has failed for years to eliminate the shortage of teachers, said a spokesman for the Education and Science Union (GEW) on Tuesday. "We want the best possible quality for all students in Saxony-Anhalt," said a young teacher.
The increase in working hours now ordered by the government does not solve the problem of the shortage of teachers and the cancellation of classes. On the contrary, it is carried out on the backs of the already overburdened teachers. It is also to be feared that young people do not want to study teaching in Saxony-Anhalt or want to stay afterwards, said the GEW spokesman.
With whistles and posters, teachers in Magdeburg demonstrated on Monday that they should probably stand in front of the classes an hour a week longer from mid-March. Education Minister Eva Feußner (CDU) recently said that Saxony-Anhalt's teachers are now reaching the national average with their weekly teaching commitments.
The additional hour per week is either remunerated or can be saved in a working time account. According to Feußner, around 2,000 teachers over the age of 62 and disabled persons with a degree of at least 50 percent and temporary teachers are exempt from the increase in working hours.
